GANAP NA BABAE (Garden of Eve) closes FACINE/19

In its 19th year, FACINE is alive and kicking in San Francisco. For the first time, passionate and cineaste program director, Mauro Tumbocon, Jr., enthused that it is the first that the film festival had a venue Daly City—an American mid-size city famous for its highest concentration of Filipino residents. He further explained that the 19th year is a step in the festival’s history to a bigger and loftier 20th celebration next year.

Held at the two-year old facilities of the re-opened War Memorial Center, 6655 Mission Street, Daly City, FACINE/19 closed with three award-winning films, Ganap na Babae (Garden of Eve), a feature length film about women by women directors helmed by Rica Arevalo, Ellen Ramos, and Sarah Roxas, Alvin Yapan’s Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa (The Dance of Two Left Feet), and Ka Oryang (Comrade Oryang) of Lawrence Sibug. The full length feature films were accompanied by short films: Victoria Donato’s Dognapper, Adiran Alarilla’s Triptych and Lawrence Sibug’s Convoy. The films started showing at 12 noon. FACINE/19 was attended by Filipino film enthusiasts and had shown 34 films over three weekends. It is a celebration of Filipino Arts and Cinema that coincided with the Filipino-American history month.

HUBO Production’s resident director Will Fredo and producer Fernell Cruz attended the event for Ganap na Babae (Garden of Eve). After the screening Fredo of HUBO and Donato, director of Dognapper, were welcomed with a Q&A. Fredo explained that Ganap na Babae was a result of a mentorship program for new women directors where he pointed out that in spite of being known as a matriarchal society, Filipino women directors remain a minority and a small voice in the Filipino film industry. With the help of Rica Arevalo and Ellen Ramos, they found this new and exciting talent, Sarah Roxas. He further paid homage to the late Marilou Diaz Abaya, who recently passed away, “ngayon nawalan pa tayo ng isang pang great female director, iilan na nga lang sila.” He further championed the need for female voice to be heard, especially by the Filipino communities. Having festivals such as FACINE, it is a portal for Filipino films and should continue to promulgate within and outside the city.